About 200 thousand workers took part in strikes at industrial enterprises in Germany, Tagesschau reported referring to the statement of IG Metall trade union leader Jörg Hofmann.

Union IG Metall demands 8% wage increase for 3.8 million workers in the industrial sector in Germany during the year. Members of the organization insist on permanent wage increases.

Hoffman said the large number of strikers demonstrates workers' unity in their demand for a wage increase. According to him, about 83,000 members of about 400 companies temporarily stopped work on Nov. 4. These included the BMW plant in Leipzig, Ford in Cologne, the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg and others.

The union explains its demands by the fact that most companies are still earning quite well. However, company representatives respond that they are struggling with soaring energy and raw material prices. As a consequence, there are limited opportunities to increase staff wages.